Staying Classy in San Diego

On Saturday night the San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum threw a no hitter against the San Diego Padres. The game took place in San Diego but it sounded more like a Giants home game. The Padres fans, and Giants fans, were on their feet while Lincecum was recording the final out. For the last hitter the home team’s TV booth silence.

Dick Enberg is the Padres regional TV play by play guy. It’s an awkward position of him to be in, announcing a baseball rarity against the team he commentates for on a daily basis. However he did it with class, by being quiet.

While most broadcasters, radio and TV alike, would have racked their brain looking for the right thing to say while Lincecum closed out the game, Enberg was silent. Allowing the crowd to tell the story. No words, no commentary. He just let the moment speak for itself.

Enberg has been in broadcasting longer than most. From the global level to the regional one. He made the veteran move by staying quiet and only an experienced broadcaster would have made that move.

There is nothing wrong with commentating during a moment like that. It deserves it. Enberg’s position as the broadcaster for the opposing team is a tough one to be in in a moment like that. He relied on his experience and expertise to do something that is sometimes lost in this day an age, he showed class by not saying s word.